Two billboards along highways in El Paso, Texas were vandalized and had mannequins hanging off of them. One reads ‘silver or lead’ in Spanish which is taken to mean that police and business owners can either take drug cartels’ bribes or die. Worries spreading that cartels that have ruled Mexican border towns with violence may be headed north.
Threat: The translation of the painted vandalism means ‘silver or lead’ which is meant to mean that police officers and business owners should either accept bribes or expect gunshots
Two frightening incidents of vandalism in El Paso near the Mexican border in Texas have been interpreted as warnings from drug cartels.
In both instances, a mannequin wearing a suit and tie was tied to a billboard with a noose and messages were scrawled over the placards.
Local station KHOU reports that one of the signs reads ‘Plata o Plombo’ which translates to ‘silver or lead’, a threat used commonly against police officers effectively warning that if they do not accept the cartel’s bribes then they will be shot.
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